Splatoon: A Change in Heart
by PixelNerdz
Summary: Nori's just a girl who wants to live an ordinary life and ends up getting it tangled with a bouncy, not-so-smart Octoling named Stella. However, as their friendship grows, so does the Octarians' plans to threaten the inklings that could change everything. (No longer being continued)
1. Chapter 1 - Agent 3

**The Fall of Inkopolis  
**

 _ **Agent 3**_

Purple blobs of ink flew everywhere, splatting the ground, walls, and anything else the ink could cover up. There was definitely more than one of those octogoons as always, but I can do this. This is what I have been trained for of course.

"You've fought and defeated them before, you can do it again." Cuttlefish would always tell me before entering an Octarian base.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled out two Burst bombs, a personal favorite of mine, and tossed them over the container I was using for defensive protection. The rapid firing from my enemies stopped as they heard the noise of two bombs being thrown. I grinned upon hearing a satisfying splat.

Ha ha! Success as always!

I pulled out from behind my hiding place and immediately pulled the trigger to my Hero Shot, splatting two other Octolings, still shocked about their splatted friend.

Easily distracted. Octarian's are well-known to be easily distracted. Throw a bomb? Distracted! Splat their friend? Distracted! I wonder if that was a tactic the Squidbeak Splatoon used…

Looking up ahead, I could see a poor trapped Zapfish, just waiting for a good ol' rescue. In case more Octolings came-seriously, these guys literally pop out of nowhere-I kept my gun ready and my mind empty. The less distractions, the better.

As I ran, I saw an incoming bomb, but it wasn't aimed at me. Multiple bombs copied, covering the entire Kelp Dome in disgusting, purple ink. I watched all the areas around, seeing explosions of purple ink ooze everywhere.

What the hell are they doing?

I heard another bomb being thrown, much louder this time. Gasping, I turned my head a little too late. The bomb exploded, blasting me with purple ink into a wall. Wincing, I rubbed my head that now ached with a constant pounding sensation.

Urgh! The first thing I told myself was to not get distracted and I let myself get distracted anyways.

"Isfth…everfffthang…okayff?"

Now I'm hearing things that don't even make sense.

I shook my head several times before slapping myself in the face. Noises in your head? You're acting dumber than these Octarian nit-wits!

I re-adjusted my headpiece. It's slightly busted now, but it should still work.

"Cap'n?"

"…You can hear me now, kiddo?"

See? Still works!

"Yes, I can hear you…but things aren't looking so well…"

"So that was an explosion? What's goin' on out there, kiddo?"

"It was. I let myself get distracted." I answered, pulling myself out of the purple goop. "I think the Octolings are trying new tactics to mess me up. I'm not used to fighting so many of them either…"

As soon as I finished talking, another bomb landed near me.

You got me once, but don't ever believe I'll let the same thing happen twice.

I flipped backwards before it exploded and dashed behind another container. I know I won't be safe here either, but at least I'm not out in the open. Several more bombs were thrown, making me groan with annoyance.

If I can't hide, then I'll have to go out and get the Zapfish straight on!

"I hate to say this, but you might have to make hasty retreat, Agent 3. I'm checking this here radar and-"

Shaking my head, I continued forward. "I can't leave without fulfilling my mission, Cap'n."

"…B-But-"

"If we flee, it'll be a victory for the Octarians. The thought of them cheering and keeping the Zapfish for themselves…it disgusts me!"

As I continued running, a mix of bombs and shots full of ink were fired. Little blobs of purple ink stained my suit and hair, blurring my vision, but I won't stop running.

"This is what I was made for! I don't play it safe, I'm a full risk taker!" I shouted.

"Inky, that's not gonna help you in turf wars. You have to know when to take cover, otherwise you'll be splatted on the spot."

"I dun care about silly turf wars! I'm going to take down dem silly Octarians!" I replied, patting my inky chest. "You'll see big bwother!"

No…I can't get nostalgic right now. That just makes things way too cheesy. But I have to wonder…what's Inked up to these days? He's probably still playing those silly-

"Uh, is this a hug or something?"

DAMMIT! Distracted like a stupid Octarian again! I mean, I must have really been lost in my thoughts because all I saw was pale skin in my face. But I could use this as an advantage! I reached for my-

SHIT! I forgot my gun!

Gritting my teeth, I turned around to see a bunch of grinning Octolings, one with my hero shot in their hands.

"Guess who has the upper hand now, Agent 3?" The one carrying my gun asked.

"Not you guys." I retorted. "I mean, hiding like a bunch of cowards? Man, I thought you were Octolings, not Super Sea Snails."

"S-Stupid insults aren't going to work on us. Besides, you're outnumbered."

"Agent 3!?" Cap'n shouted. "What's going on out there?! Answer me, whippersnapper!"

The Octoling behind me snatched my headpiece and chuckled, "Oh, she's fine, Cuttlefish. We were just about to ask if you wanted to join the farewell party!"

I flinched. I've been taught that Octolings are ruthless, especially the ones with seaweed on their heads. They feel no sympathy for anyone. Why? Their only mission is to kill. They've been taught to spare no feelings for Inklings, no matter what.

"Guns ready!"

The Octolings all grabbed their guns, fingers barely touching their triggers.

"I'm sorry, Cap'n…I should have listened…" I muttered, tears in my eyes.

"Aim…"

"But I won't ever make this mistake ever again…"

"Fire!"

As soon as the triggers were pulled, blobs of ink flew in every direction, any means of escape was impossible. However, this is what I've been trained for. Grinning, I grabbed the Octoling behind me and switched places with them.

Of course I know you can't get splatted with your own ink, but this is all a part of my escape plan. Building momentum, I leaped upwards onto the grate with the Zapfish above. Normally, you would have to shoot at the bulbs to break them, but as you already know, I don't have my gun.

Gritting my fangs, I slammed my head against the glass breaking the Zapfish free. I grabbed it and wrapped my arms around it tightly, running for my life. Literally, I was running for my life.

I stared down at the Zapfish as it looked up at me. There was one thing we had in common…

We both had fear in our eyes.

* * *

 **Author's Note:  
**

 **I'm going to change the story's original plot due to a writer's block I was having. If things seem darker, well, now you know why. Title and rating changed to match the plot.**


	2. Chapter 2 - Stella

**The Fall of Inkopolis**

 _ **Stella**_

Six o' clock in the morning every day, alarms ring and buzz, and everyone marches out together in a single-file line. We all grab our weapons, sub-weapons and train, and train, and train…and train…and you guessed it, train.

It's the same boring thing here in what used to be _Octopia_. The idea of stealing all the Zapfish, including the Great Zapfish sounded great when DJ Octavio first pitched it to us. But now, it's lead us to nothing. It's dark, damp, and many of us have not survived in these terrible, terrible conditions.

Anyways, because we only have so many Zapfish left, Octavio makes us train twice as hard while he sits and relaxes back in that large DJ machine of his. Seriously, I don't ever see him do anything else other than making pointless remixes.

"C'mon _Stella_! Those targets aren't going to shoot themselves!" I hear someone shout behind me.

If you didn't know already, I don't care about fighting for the Zapfish stuff. Despite what they've done to us, I think the Inklings are amazing! Their fresh gear, their powerful weapons, and their beautiful, magnificent city!

" **STELLA! GET OUT OF YOUR FANTASY WORLD AND GET TO SHOOTING**!"

Stifling a groan, I reluctantly grabbed my gun and pulled its trigger, releasing blobs of purple ink at the squid-shaped targets ahead of me. Each popped after two to three shots.

 _If this is what it means to be an Octarian, then pleeease, somebody, anybody, splat me now._

* * *

Seven o' clock, our remaining lights go out, everyone retreats into their dens, not a single sound except the distant trains and the crumbling of our once beautiful utopia falling apart.

I couldn't sleep, and no, not because of the scary sounds.

I'm tired of all the 'Wake up, Stella! Shooting time!' or 'Stella! Stop dreaming and get to training!'. Today, all that changes. Quietly, I crawled out of my bed and pushed open the creaky door to my den quickly.

What? You thought I was gonna be slow with it? It'll make more noise if I do that! Silly squid-kid!

Sliding on my goggles, I tip-toed my way through the long hallway lined up with rooms of sleeping Octarians. Being quiet is very important here; Octarians are very, very hostile and will not hesitate in attacking if they hear any strange noises.

Minutes later, I finally made it to what we call the 'Main Station'. As the name implies, it's sorta like a train station except wackier and random. No Octarian ever remembers where any of the trains go and DJ Octavio won't be bothered to help us with it. Our trains also go in all sorts of directions, up, down, left, right, sideways, upside down...it's painful to ride.

Luckily, I don't need a train to get to where I'm going. I grinned upon seeing my destination, a large red grate, one that leads to the outside world.

I sighed in relief. I didn't ge-

"Stella?"

I turned around and let out another sigh of relief. It was just one of my fellow comrades, Tashia. She's the only Octarian that fully respects me and my opinions.

"What are you-" She began.

"Shh!" I interrupted. "Do you want the whole valley to know I'm here!?"

She shook her head.

"…I-Wait. Can I trust you to keep a secret? And it's not just any secret. It's big, important, and can cause some major changes…for someone in particular."

She tilted her head at first, but soon nodded. "You can always trust me, Star! We're best friends, remember?"

I smiled, but quickly stopped. "OK…so I've been thinking for a long time now, and…I-I…"

"You…what?" She asked, curiosity levels to the max.

"I'm gonna try and escape Octopia, Tashia. I'm…I'm tired of living like this!"

Tashia stared at me for a few moments before grabbing hands.

"But where are you going to go!? Those awful Inklings will splat you right on the spot if they see you wandering around in their territory!"

I stared at her in disbelief. It's hard for me to remember that even someone sweet as Tashia can still be harsh to others.

"Tashia, I-"

"What are you two chit-chatting about?" A voice behind us asked.

We both turned to see Gale, one of the rudest Octolings I've ever met. And you know what the worst thing is? Everyone loves her; shes been nominated best Octoling four times in a row!

"Well?" She asked, tapping her foot impatiently.

"We were just talking about how things will start looking better for Octopia…!" Tashia butted in, shaking. "Stella's been feel-"

"Don't care!" Gale interrupted. "Just quit yapping, otherwise they'll strip us from night duty and move us to battle duty!"

"I don't see anything wrong with that." I shrugged, grinning. "Are you afraid you might get splatted?"

I for one would be grateful if Gale got splatted. I mean, that's a terrible thing to think as we don't have re-spawns like Inklings do. One splat and you're gone, forever.

"Of course not!" She snorted. "I prefer this job so I don't have to protect stupid Octarians who can't even protect themselves. Honestly, there's a reason we lost the war, y'know."

Gale is one terrible liar.

"Wow, aren't you a caring person!" I replied sarcastically. "Let's nominate you for best, rudest Octoling!"

"What was that!?" She shouted.

"Nothing. Don't you have somewhere you need to be, Gale?"

"Actually," She began, an evil grin forming. "I was wondering what you were doing out here! You're not on night duty; you haven't even been assigned to a job yet!"

"OK, and your point is?"

"You're a loser, Stella."

"All because?"

"You. Don't. Have. A. **Job**!"

"Oh! Right! I don't have to do anything like you do! I could be relaxing in my room right now, no one to bother me for anything."

She glared and stuck her tongue at me before storming off.

Finally, just me and Tashia again. I turned to her and winked.

"And that's how you piss off a Gale!"

"Star..."

"Hm?" I tilted my head.

"You really should consider staying here. There's no life for Octolings above ground. And maybe...if you take training a bit more seriously, you'd get promoted and would have your own job..."

I paused, but quickly nodded afterwards.

"You know...you're right."

"Really?" She asked, mouth agape.

"Yup! I'm gonna take my training super seriously tomorrow."

"Yeah...?"

"And I'm gonna get promoted!"

"Yeah?"

"I'll finally get a job down here!"

"Yeah!" She beamed, excitement glittering in her eyes.

"And the job I'll get..." I paused for the dramatic effect.

"Yeeeaaah?"

"Battle duty!" I finished, walking back towards my room.

"Yeah! W-Wait! Battle duty!?" She questioned. "B-But Stella!"

I was already out of her view at that point. Yes, if I choose battle duty, I will either be lucky and train for another day or I will be forced to join my comrades and take on the one who restarted the falling of our utopia, Agent 3.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I almost gave up on this story completely, but now I have a full working plot! Goodbye writer's block! Also, I hope you're all enjoying the story so far! It may seem bland now, but I hope I can spice it for all of your enjoyment! That's all for now!  
**


	3. Chapter 3 - An Unexpected Encounter

**The Fall of Inkopolis**

 _ **An Unexpected Encounter**_

What was supposed to only be a day turned into two weeks of long, painful training. Fortunately, I was finally approved of getting a job and I wouldn't have to train ever again. Today's the day! There's no turning back now.

Taking a deep breath, I walked towards Octovi's desk.

Octovi is another Octarian I just looove to hate. No where near as much as Gale, but he makes a close second. This guy literally does nothing but asks us what jobs we want and if it's available or not. And it's all because he's a male Octoling. Strangely enough, they're rare.

Clearing my throat, I tapped the bell that was resting on his desk. "Octovi! I'm here for my job"

He rested his newspaper down, amusement glistening in his eyes. "Well, lookie at what we have here! Good ol' Stella! You finally broke out of your shell and decided to be a real Octarian, eh?"

"Yeah, go ahead. Make fun of me like everyone else." I muttered, folding my arms. "I just want my job, okay?"

He snorted. "Heh heh. What are you wanting? Kitchen duty?"

I rolled my eyes. "Ha ha, very funny. No, I want battle duty."

" **YOU WANT THAT**!?" I heard Octovi exclaim, the corners of his mouth forming into a wide grin.

"Yes…" I mumbled. "Come on, Octo! I did your lousy training program and I'm qualified to get a job now!"

He covered his mouth before bursting out into laughter again. You could literally see the tears streaming from his eyes.

"Aha ha ha! I'm sorry, but…you-lemme get this straight-you, an Octoling, want to take battle duty as your job? Battle duty, meaning, you could possibly die if _you-know-who_ comes in."

"Stop exaggerating. You know we can re-spawn." I said, already knowing that was a lie.

With more of the Zapfish gone, our spawn points have broken down and there is no way to fix them. We had no idea they even stopped working until a bunch of Octarians went missing one day. Long story short, they never went missing.

"Steeellaaa! You and I both know that that's a lie. But, as the rules go, I can't stop you from making this crazy-stupid decision." He pulled out a drawer and rummaged through it, pulling a badge out. "Wear it with pride, or should I say _stupidity_!?" He broke down laughing again, pounding the desk with his fists.

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed the badge and walked away. The last thing I need to hear is more of Octovi's ridiculous laugh. It sounds like a pig snorting and an old person laughing mixed together!

Despite how bad the job is, the badge is pretty cool looking. It has an Octoling in octopus-form, purple ink in the background, and a scar across its eye. I guess the scar symbolizes toughness? But how do you even get a scar if you're using bombs and guns? Those don't just leave scars on your face…but I guess if you-Oh! Ha ha! I'm getting carried away, aren't I? Yes, back to my main purpose here!

I pinned the badge on my belt and headed for Main Station.

Remember how I said I didn't trains to get out? Well, turns out I do now.

"Look my fellow 'Tarians! It's Stella!"

Oh, come on! Is every Octoling out to get me today!?

Everyone turned to face me, some of them gasping, some of them shrugging, and most of them smiling.

"So, you finally decided to get tougher, huh Stella?" One of them asked.

"For your information, I was tough…and I still am!" I scoffed, folding my arms. "I just found our whole system broken and didn't want to participate in it. B-But…it's not gonna change, so I just finally accepted it."

To my surprise, quite a few of them nodded.

"Yeah, we don't have much of a choice anymore. _Whatever happens happens_." One of them responded.

"As if we had a choice to begin with! Octavio doesn't care about our lives. _I don't think he_ _ever did_."

More grunts and nods in agreement.

"So…if you guys could…I don't know…trade lives with the uh…the uh, Inklings, w-would you do it?"

They all looked at me, sympathy in their eyes.

"As crazy as that sounds, _I definitely would_." One said.

Relief flooded my locked up chest. It never dawned on me that there were other Octolings hating their lives just as I did.

"It would be a true Utopia to live up there." Another said.

We all sighed, imagining the sweet, sweet life of an Inkling. To have fun, to be free, to have electricity as the tip of your fingers. Such a life sounds unimaginable for us.

" **Ahem**!"

Well, so much for daydreaming about the good life.

"What's with all of you!? Get your heads out of the clouds!"

This guy sure was mean, but we have no say since his rank was higher. You know what that means don't you?

No? Fiiine! I'll tell you, silly squid-kid.

Octolings, specifically, are divided into two ranks: seaweed rank and normal rank. The ones with seaweed are a lot darker in the tentacles and are stronger and fiercer than us. There's nothing special about us, the normal ones. Not one thing.

"Alright! With Agent 3 distracted on our other bases, we're going to be _**invading** Inkling territory_!"

Everyone gasped and murmured, including me. Though it may seem helpful to my case, it's not at all! My awful comrades are going to attack and possibly destroy innocent Inkling territory! Is it weird that I pity our enemies so much?

"Be **quiet**! If we're going to take what's rightfully ours, we need to take a big step closer! We'll start by sending ten Octolings to attack the Kelp Dome."

Without thinking I blurted out, "Only ten?"

Everyone turned to face me, either shaking their heads or mouthing words like ' _You're doomed_!'.

"Do you know who you're talking to, **kid**?" He snapped. "You must be new, so I'll let you off with a warning. I am Commander Octill, top of the top, tough of the tough. I know what I'm doing and I don't need a _**punk**_ like you telling me what to do."

"S-Sorry sir, I just thought…ten was…uh…too little?" I stuttered, my legs feeling wobbly like jelly.

He looked as if he were about to slap my Octo goggles right off of me, but instead, he grinned, scratching his chin thoughtfully.

"Y'know kid, you actually give me a _great idea_." He grabbed my hand and raised it high. "Listen, everyone! This little Octoling here has given me the greatest idea! Instead of playing it safe, we're going to strike big and become risk takers!"

Everyone looked at each other nervously, bracing themselves. I needed to brace myself too. For all I know, my big mouth might have just ruined everything for me.

" _Everyone_ here is going to the Kelp Dome, and we will _**destroy**_ it once and for all."

* * *

Well, if there's one positive to this, at least we didn't have to take the trai- **SPLAT**!

Did you hear that? It's the sound of another Octoling being splatted in seconds.

It didn't take long for Agent 3 to arrive which was all part of the plan. We brought a Zapfish as bait, but I think it's terrible since we're living off of whatever little scraps of energy we can get. Leave it to the Octolings to _not_ consider the cons.

I feel butterflies swarming my stomach as I hear them screech. That's not a regular splat, its _death_ coming in the form of ink.

"Psst! Stella!"

I turned to see a group of Octolings huddled with Commander Octill. He gestured me to come over. I happily crawled on over to avoid watching anymore of that terrible battle.

"New plan. We're all going to toss out our bombs. Everywhere. Anywhere you can throw one, throw it. Use every last one you have, got it?"

We all nodded in agreement. This would throw her off balance I suppose, but I never actually wanted to participate in this battle! If I could just find the right moment, I could finally escape from all this action.

I crawled back over to my hiding spot and watched as all my comrades tossed their bombs. I would have joined, but if I'm going to escape, I'd like to save as much ink as possible. Turning around, I began to poorly plan my escape.

The Kelp Dome was a lot bigger than I imagined. It also had platforms that allowed us to get higher, an advantage we used to spot Agent 3. With this many Octolings and distractions around, I might be able to leave unnoticed.

Nodding to myself, I started crawling towards the direction of the Zapfish. If there's an entrance here, there's gotta be an exit. Where there's a Zapfish, there's an exit. I don't know why Octarians just love putting Zapfish in easy-to-get-away places.

"Uh, is this a hug or something?" I heard someone ask.

I need to leave right now, but I'm like a cat! So curious!

I looked down to see Agent 3 awkwardly hugging on of my comrades. Was this some sort of Inkling tactic? Or maybe Agent 3 was trying to show signs of peace...? There's no way, not after she just splatted all those Octolings.

"Guess who has the upper hand now, Agent 3?" Another spoke.

It was crazy how fast all the Octolings I was squished around with earlier surrounded Agent 3. I actually felt bad for that Inkling, but their problem has nothing to do with me.

Sneaking past the Zapfish, I leaped down and ran towards what I thought was an exit. I mean, in movies, the exit is always has a bright light coming out of it, right?

I continued running, my heart flooding with relief and happiness.

 _I'm almost there!_

I hear gunshots in the distance.

 _To freedom!_

I hear loud gasps.

 _To fresh air!_

I hear glass shattering.

 **THUMP!**

My face collided with a thin layer that was hard as a rock. It felt smooth and cold, and it hurt. A lot. Groaning, I pushed my hands against the glass and pulled my face off.

W-What is this thing? Glass?

I rubbed my hand on it and tapped it.

Yep, definitely glass.

I felt like crying, collapsing, or just having anyone splat me right now. I don't wanna go back to that Octo dump! I don't wanna be canned up and treated like a roach you could just squish anymore!

The more I cried, the more I felt angry. I stripped off my battle badge that still baffles me because I'll never know why that stupid scar is there and stared at it for a few moments before straightening the pin and jabbing it hard into the glass.

It barely made a crack but I don't care. I just need some way to let out these mixed emotions and this is the only way I can.

I was about to make another fierce jab until I felt something collide into me. We both flew back against the glass and I felt the sharp little daggers graze my back. It didn't take long for pain to surge my body, mostly my back.

I thought I was going to fall or die or something painful like that. Instead I found myself in someone's arms...we were still moving.

Am I being carried?

Suddenly, it hurt to think. I swear, the more I thought, the more the world started to spin. It never stopped spinning, it continued, faster, and faster, and faster until everything faded to black.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Another chapter done! Stella's goin' places! But where is she going now? Also, Stella is the only one who constantly breaks the fourth wall. She's not even aware of it.**


	4. Chapter 4 - An Octoling for Agent 3!

**The Fall of Inkopolis**

 _ **An Octoling for Agent 3!**_

Grunting and panting, I continued to carry the unconscious Octoling girl on my back. I could hear her goggles jiggle up and down as I struggled to move up what seemed like an endless hill.

Back at the Kelp Dome, I did see her trying to break through the dome's massive glass and used her to my advantage. It only makes sense that I take full responsibility and take her home. What I didn't expect was this girl to be so damn heavy! What do they feed Octarians down there? Sea bass?

Well, that doesn't matter. All I have to do is drop her off at Octo Valley, return the Zapfish to Cap'n Cuttlefish with a heavy explanation of the Kelp Dome's unfortunate events, and sleep the rest of the day away.

"N-Nggh…"

I slightly cocked my head to see the latter twitching and frowning. Stopping, I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

 _Great! She's awake._

"I-I'm…floating?" She asked, still unconscious.

"No," I retorted. "You're being carried, octogoon."

"…By who and...to where…?"

"By me and to your home."

"Those are very vague answers." She stretched, pushing herself off my back afterwards.

"Listen, I don't want any trouble." I snapped, turning around. "Let's just split ways peacefully so nothing else bad happens and this will just be one of those days to forget."

She continued rubbing her sore, red eyes. "N-nothing else…bad?"

I groaned and yanked her hands off her face. She gasped, obviously surprised to see that her lifesaver was me, an Inkling, natural enemy of her race.

"Yes, nothing else bad! I don't see how you can forget that you and your little comrades had completely destroyed the Kelp Dome!"

"The Kelp Dome? The Kelp Dome! My mission! Freedom!" She exclaimed, watching our surroundings in awe, only to be disappointed afterwards.

"Wait…I recognize this area…" She directed her attention towards me, glaring. "You're trying to take me back home!"

I shrugged like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well, I refuse to continue this journey with you!" She pouted, folding her arms.

"You're an Octoling, an Octarian to be exact." I said. "Octarians belong underground in Octo Valley where you are free to do whatever you please down there."

She rolled her eyes. "Who told you that? A boring, old history teacher?"

"It doesn't matter who told me." I answered, grabbing her hand. "Come on, let's go."

She hardly budged.

"No!" She clamored, yanking her hand out of my grasp. "I didn't do all that training, endure all those insults, or sign up for battle duty just to be taken right back home! My escape will be successful!"

"Wait, what?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. "You were _trying_ to escape Octo Valley?"

She nodded. "I know what I've done is crazy…but please, I'll explain everything later! Just don't take me back! I can't live a life, one with meaning down in that Octarian pit of hell any longer!"

I stared at her, our eyes both locked with each other and watery with emotion.

"Please…?" She begged with the common puppy eyes.

After a long, long pause, I finally sighed, nodding my head regretfully.

"I guess…we can work something out."

"Really?" She squealed, nuzzling my chest.

I awkwardly pushed her away, nodding.

"Y-Yeah…j-just don't do weird stuff…like…like that…"

She immediately shot out her hand right in front of me, making me flinch. "I'm Stella by the way! I was told it means 'star' in some other mysterious language! What's your name? Does it have a meaning to? Is it from another mysterious language that we will never use or may or may not use in the far future?"

I hesitated before shaking her hand.

"Inky…but there's only _one person_ I allow to call me that. So, you can call me Nori, and no, both names have no meaning. And here," I pulled out a green ski-jacket and handed it to her. "You're gonna want this if you want to stay up here."

* * *

"What is this place?" Stella asked, gazing in awe.

"Specifically, this is Flounder Heights. All these buildings you see, they're called apartments."

"Apartments…" She repeated. "Wow, so amazing..."

I couldn't help but laugh. "They're not that amazing."

She shook her head in shock. "Not that amazing? These are absolutely astonishing! Not only do you guys interact with each other outside, but you live in buildings outside too!?"

"Oh, Stella," I chuckled, patting her back. "You have a lot to learn."

She grasped my hand tightly, jumping up and down, eyes full of curiosity and joy. "Nori, I'd be honored to learn everything about Inklings!"

" _Everything_?" I questioned with a chuckle.

" **EVERYTHING**!" She exclaimed, grabbing everyone's attention."

Flushed, I grabbed the back of her jacket, pulling her close and yanked her hood down as far as it could go.

"Haha!" I awkwardly laughed. "She's just excited about finally participating in tomorrow's turf wars! Y'know, who isn't? D-Don't mind us!"

She pushed herself away from me once again and exclaimed, " **TURF WARS**!? What are thooose!?"

I grabbed her arms and dragged her up the stairs that lead to my apartment, ignoring all the pairs of confused eyes that watched us.

"Stella! You have to act normal! Now Inklings already have suspicions on you!" I whispered in her ear.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Nori!" She whispered back. "I'm just so excited to meet and see all these new people!"

Opening my bag, I pulled out my keys.

"...I understand you're excited, but all that excitement can easily be washed away if we get caught, okay?"

She nodded.

I unlocked the door and welcomed her in.

"Here's my little comfort zone~"

She dashed inside and literally touched everything her grabby little Octoling fingers could grab.

"This. Is. Amazing. Nori, you have to tell me what all of this stuff is!"

I rolled my eyes in annoyance. "I know. Here's a brief description for you: furniture."

"Hey, Nori! What's this fluffy thing I'm sitting on?" She asked, rolling around on the floor."

"Carpet..."

"Carpet…" She repeated in amazement, rubbing it thoroughly. "I. Love. Carpet!"

This is the craziest Octoling I have ever met. Why do I have an Octoling in my apartment? Is this something Inked what have done? Would he approve me of my sudden-not-very-thought-out-actions? Either I have made a terrible decision of keeping an Octoling or a complete ludicrous decision of keeping an Octoling.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I'm sorry this chapter is much shorter than the others! School's finally back and it's already kicking my butt! Anyways, Nori and Stella have finally met! How will their relationship go: good or bad?**


	5. Chapter 5 - Tet-nical Difficulties

**The Fall of Inkopolis**

 _ **Tet-nical Difficulties**_

 **(Stella)**

Yawning, I woke up, expecting to be greeted by cold darkness and groans from several other Octarians. My mind and body were prepared for another boring day of shooting at fake squid-targets and doing warm-ups. Instead, warm sunlight bathed my cheeks and I heard several different chirping noises from outside.

Rubbing the last bits of sleep out of my eyes, I opened the curtains and glued my face to the window, seeing the beautiful world of the outdoors.

Today's the day! The start of my new life!

Excitement fluttering in my chest, I dashed out into what Nori calls _The Living Room_.

"Nooori! Good mooorning~!" I chirped, only to be answered with infinite silence.

Silly squid! She must be exhausted after all the stuff that happened yesterday. That...or she's really deaf and could use a hearing aid.

Quietly, I tip-toed into her room, seeing her half on her bed, half off. She was snoring really, really loudly, making me chuckle. But really, she should get that checked out…that can't be healthy.

I crawled over to her, sharply poking her in the side.

"Pssst! Nori!" I whispered loudly in her ear. "Wake up! It's exploration time!"

She twitched and snorted, slapping me with her hand gently.

"No, Cap'n…I don't want any…crabby cakes…"

"Crabby cakes? Cap'n?" I questioned, shaking her all over the place now. "Nori, just wake up already!"

"H-Huh!?" She shouted, wiping her eyes. "H-Hey! **OCTARIAN!** **IN MY HOUSE!** "

She immediately pushed me aside and rolled towards a long gun-like weapon. Quickly, she aimed it right at my nose, an angry glare on her face.

"What is your purpose here, you purple goon?"

Giggling, I pushed the tip of the weapon away with my finger.

"Did you hit your head last night? It's me, Stella!"

Shaking her head, she dropped the weapon and fell to her knees with a sigh of annoyance.

"So, it wasn't a dream. I really am keeping an Octoling in my house with no plan whatsoever."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what I am doing is absolutely crazy! Any other smart inkling would have splatted you on the spot had you not returned to Octo Valley." She answered, heading towards her closet. "Don't look, I'm going to change out of these pajamas."

I turned around and covered my eyes. "Well, I my opinion, I think it makes you a kind, sweet inkling! Just look at us now! We're chatting like two _besties_ who have been besties for ever and ever!"

" _R-Really_ …? I mean, thanks-thank you, Stella."

I grinned. "Hey, so, you're going to take me to Inkopolis today, right? A grand tour of the city would be really, really, really great…!"

Nori hesitated before answering. "I don't think so, Stella. I still have to give that Zapfish I found back to Cap'n Cuttlefish with an explanation of what happened yesterday…"

I let out an exaggerated sigh. "Oh well…it'll happen eventually though…right?"

Nori closed the door to her closet and walked over to me, patting my back with a smile on her face.

" _A promise is a promise_."

I grinned back and hugged her tightly.

" **You. Are. The. Greatest. Inkling. Ever!** "

I could see Nori awkwardly blushing. She was about to return the hug, but there was a loud bang on the door.

"Who's that?" I whispered, releasing my grip.

"I don't know, but hide." She whispered back. "And when I say hide, I mean, literally hide yourself so that I wouldn't even know where you are, got it?"

I nodded, already searching for a place to hide.

If there's one thing I'm good at, it's hiding. It was part of my training after all. However, Nori's room is nowhere near as big as the caverns in Octo Valley.

I opened the door to Nori's closet and was immediately greeted by clothes. I stared at them in awe.

"The rumors were true…inklings really do wear the freshest of clothes…!" I whispered to myself.

Looking back behind me, I slowly closed the door.

* * *

 **(Nori)**

Taking a deep breath, I wiped the remaining drops of sweat off my head.

Don't show any fear. Don't make it look like your obviously hiding something. Be cool, be calm.

Sighing, I unlocked the door and opened it.

"Hello there!" I chirped, observing this mysterious inkling.

He wore a Paintball Mask, so most of his face was covered, a Gray College Sweat, and Orange Arrows.

He tilted his head before responding. "Interesting. I did not think you would answer."

"What do you mean?" I questioned, already feeling beads of sweat sliding down my cheeks.

"How often do you see an inkling up at seven in the morning?" He asked calmly.

"I could ask you the same exact thing."

He softly chuckled, easing my nerves a bit. "I would prefer if we continued this conversation inside if you don't mind."

"Uh, sure, come on in."

He walked in, inspecting everything in my room. He glanced at my couch then back at me. I nodded and he immediately sat down.

"So, mind telling me your name?"

He removed his mask. "Oh, I did forget to properly introduce myself, didn't I? My name is Tet, full name Teto, but I prefer to be called Tet."

"Nice to meet you Tet, I'm Nori…actually, Inky, but there's only one person who's allowed to call me that."

"Hm, nice to meet you as well, _Nori_. I'm here because I would…" He leaned forward and folded his hands. "…like to ask some questions."

I awkwardly sat down next to him.

What kind of questions is what I wanted to ask him, but that could possibly raise suspicion.

"S-Sure…ask away."

"Are you aware of the attack at the Kelp Dome?" He asked through narrowed eyes.

Oh, good! A question I can actually sort of lie around.

"Yes, yes I am."

"Are you also aware that the Kelp Dome is officially nothing more than a pile of purple Octarian goop?"

"…No…what…?" I gasped.

"Last question, are you aware that because of your _failure_ at the Kelp Dome, Cap'n Cuttlefish has hired a new Agent 3? Or should I say, Agent 4?"

I stared at him blankly.

Frozen. I was frozen solid. If you pushed me, I would fall to my side like a statue.

 _Replaced_? The _destruction_? _My_ _fault_? My mind couldn't process all this at once. I felt my knees give out, but something caught me…

I turned in horror to see my hand held by another hand…a familiar hand.

"You're lucky I came out, Nori!" Stella beamed. "You almost fell and hit your head again!"

That's it. I'm done for.

The world went silent for a moment before turning completely black. I collapsed onto Stella's chest, every part of my body feeling limp and frozen.

* * *

 **(Stella)**

"… **N-Nori!?** " I exclaimed in shock.

I glanced towards the mysterious figure on the couch who seemed unfazed by everything that just happened.

"Hey! You! What did you do to my best friend!?"

He chuckled, sliding his mask back on.

"All I did was tell her the honest truth." He answered, patting my head gently. "Sometimes, the truth hurts more than you think."

He proceeded towards the door to Nori's room.

I felt anger fire up in my chest.

The heck with this kid!? He thinks he can just walk in here, knock my friend out, and then rummage through her stuff!?

"Hey! Leave Nori's stuff alone!" I shouted, chasing after him.

"Seriously, dude! Don't you know it's rude to interfere with another girls personal belongings?"

He placed a hand right in front of my face before I could tackle him down.

"I would be careful if I were you, Octoling."

I blinked. "How did you know I wa-"

"I did not at first, but when I touched your head, I could easily feel those extra tentacles you Octarians have under that hat."

I quickly adjusted it, frowning.

"If you want to stay up here, I recommend staying indoors and not bouncing all over the place like you are on some sort of sugar rush." He pulled a Zapfish out from Nori's bag. "Anyways, my business here is done. Tell Nori I am sorry for the unfortunate news."

"Unfortunate news?" I asked, but he had already left the room.

"What do you mean?" I called out, sliding into the living room.

"You will see when your friend wakes up." He calmly replied before slamming the front door shut.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Poor Nori! All sorts of things she wasn't expecting have happened! And just who is this Tet guy?**

 **Also, big thank you to those of you who left a positive review! I'm super glad you guys are enjoying this story so far, this being my first story on here ever! Again, thank you!**


	6. Chapter 6 - Rainy Days

**The Fall of Inkopolis**

 _ **Rainy Days**_

 **(Tet)**

The sun was still barely over the horizon, a signal that it was still very early into the morning. For me, that is perfect as I hate to drag any extra attention to myself with this…Zapfish.

I continued walking through Flounder Heights, stopping to board a train to Inkopolis' main attraction, The Inkopolis Tower. Thankfully, no one else was aboard the train.

"M-mer…" A small, squeaky voice shrieked.

I glanced over to see my bag shaking slightly.

Rolling my eyes, I kicked it, hard.

I don't care if there is no one here to see that I smuggled a Zapfish; the damn thing should be happy that I came to take it home faster than that foolish inkling girl!

A few minutes later, the train came to a stop. I climbed off, tossing my bag over my shoulder. Fortunately, not too many inklings were piled around in the plaza. Most were busy chatting with old friends.

I briskly walked pass them and over to Inkopolis Tower, turning sharply towards a vending machine. I glanced over my shoulder before shifting into my squid form and sliding through the grate in front of it.

"Arrgh!" An angry voice growled. "Agent 3, why won't you pick up!? Those Octarians couldn't have gotten ya…"

"Excuse me." I calmly interrupted, shifting back into my humanoid form.

"And who are you, stranger?" Cap'n asked through narrow eyes.

"My name is Tet, and to my understanding, you have a bit of a situation on your hands, yes?"

"Well-"

"Please, stop pleading for Agent 3 to come back." I interrupt, pulling the Zapfish from my bag. I couldn't help but grin upon seeing his shocked expression. "The Octarians are only going to keep attacking, so,"

I tossed the Zapfish over to him, removing my paintball mask as well.

"Let's stop wasting time over a girl who thinks she can _slack off_ and start _defending_ Inkopolis from further harm."

Cuttlefish hesitated, fumbling with the scared Zapfish in his hands. After a few more moments of silence, he finally answered.

"Boy, I sure haven't met a determined, serious squid-kid like you before, and that rustles up some trust issues, but I suppose you're right. I can't sit here and wait for Agent 3 much longer, and it seems to me," He releases the Zapfish. "That you are capable of doing this yourself. Heck, you managed to get this Zapfish without any of my advice, shrimpy!"

Silent, I nod.

"Well, will ya help this old Cap'n out, _**Agent 4**_?"

* * *

 **(Nori)**

"Graaah…." I groaned, rubbing my aching eyes. "Wha-"

" **OH MY COD! NORI!** " I heard a familiar voice screech. "You. Finally. Woke. **UP!** "

Immediately, I felt someone tackle me down and nuzzle my chest.

"W-Who are-"

"It's me, Stella!" She beamed, hugging me so tight that I almost feel like vomiting. "Don't tell me you got amnesia'd!"

All I could do was stare at her, bewildered.

"OK, OK. I see you could use a refresher. Listen real good, Nori, cos I'm only going to say this once." She paused to take a deep breath.

"SoyouandImetattheKelpDome,butthatwasbecauseyouwererunningfrommyOctariancomradesandthen completelyknockedoutlikeacarptryingtomakeasplash!Thenyou-"

I stopped listening, shaking my head as she rambled on.

Just the mention of the Kelp Dome was enough to restore all my memories.

"Stella." I called, remembering how I stupidly agreed to have her live with me.

"And you were like, ' _ **I'm taking you back to Octo Valley, you Octarian scum!**_ '. And I was like, ' _ **No! Nori, pleeease spare me!**_ '"

" _Stella_."

"So we like made a deal or something after arguing with each other and you took me back to this place to stay!"

" _ **Steeellaaa**_."

"And after that you promised to teach me all about inkling culture and history, which _you still haven't_ _done_ by the way!"

" **STELLA, FOR CODS SAKE LISTEN TO ME!** "

She immediately froze, staring at me through narrowed, magenta eyes.

"I know who you are, who I am, and what happened." I say. "But there is one thing I don't remember."

" _Yeeesss_?" She questioned, tilting her head.

"What happened…before I passed out?" I asked, placing my hand across my forehead. "Why did I pass out?"

"Oh, that's easy! I was partially there when it happened!"

" _Partially?_ "

"Weeell, yeah!" She answered excitedly, her eyes darting to me and towards the bathroom. "You told me to hide in there and stuff."

It was only until now that I realized Stella was wearing some of my old clothes.

" **Oh. My. Cod. Stella. Why. Why. Why.** "

"Why what?"

"My. **CLOTHES!** My wardrobe is not your wardrobe!"

"But you said I need to try to blend in with this place." She smirked. "Nobody will suspect an Octoling in fresh, inkling clothing!"

"I never said that! And you do not look fresh in those clothes!" I shouted furiously.

I immediately regret what I had said, seeing a flash of hurt in her eyes.

She shifted uncomfortably.

"S-Stella, I didn't mean it like that." I added, scratching my hair with a finger. "It's just, when you wear clothes, you gotta make sure there's some sort of coronation with it."

She tilted her head once again. "Really? Back in Octo Valley, we don't have any cute, fresh clothes. Everyone wears the same thing every day. I just assumed you guys put on whatever you want."

I flinched.

I get Octarians aren't as fashionable and don't have as many luxuries as we do up here, but how could they only have one pair of clothes they wear for the rest of their lives!? Blech!

"Well, a promise is a promise, Stella." I replied, grasping her hand.

"Huh?" She squeaked, eyes beaming with excitement.

"I promised I would teach you inkling culture, and you'll never fully learn it if you don't leave my stinkin' apartment."

She gasped, grabbing my hand tighter. "N-Nori, you don't mean…"

"Yes, I do." I smiled, pulling her up. "Let's go to Inkopolis. Just you and me; us gals."

She looked as if she were an Octoball ready to burst. "Alri-"

She was interrupted by a loud, rumbling noise.

"N-Nori…what was-"

The loud, rumbling noise quickly returned, a flash of lightning blinding the room for a split second afterwards.

"Nori, what's happening!?" She panicked, literally holding onto my entire body.

"Huh? That? It's just a thunder storm." I answered calmly. "Thank goodness we weren't outside yet, but, unfortunately, this throws a wrench in our plans."

"H-Huh?" She whimpered.

"Well, we can't go outside in the rain, silly!" I laughed, slightly blushing afterwards. "Um, I mean, I can't go out in the rain; water is like a poison to us inklings. I don't know if the same applies to you."

"What's rain?" She asked, starting to release her tight grip on me.

"Follow me." I smiled.

I lead her to the window and pulled the curtains apart to reveal thundering drops of rain pounding against the window.

"That, my Octarian friend, is rain. It gets absorbed into the clouds up there and when the cloud can't hold anymore, it releases all of the water."

"Wow…" She murmured, watching every droplet splash against the glass.

"And that loud sound you heard earlier is called thunder. I don't know too much about it, but it's somehow related to lightning, that flash you briefly saw earlier too."

"Wow, rain is so cool! We never see it because-"

"You live underground…" I unintentionally finished.

"Well, yeah…that's really the reason why I've wanted to come above ground." She replied coolly.

"Hmm? I thought it was because you hated your job down there." I replied back.

She nodded. "That too, but it's mainly because I'm tired of living underground like some caged animal." I could see her eyes dull up a bit. "It's so beautiful up here! The air's fresh, there's no boundaries to where you go, and there's no violence…"

She turned to face me, that usual bounciness in her eyes gone.

"Because it's raining, we won't be able to go to Inkopolis today, will we?"

I shook my head, wrapping an arm around her neck. "Unfortunately, no. Buuut," I paused, smiling at the spark of curiosity in her eyes. "I can teach you a little more about my culture if you want."

She grinned, tackling and hugging me.

" _Yeees!_ Teach me everything! No wait!" She leaped off of me and pulled out a piece of paper from my sofa cushion. "I wrote everything out on this list!"

"When did you have time to write all that down?" I asked, pointing at the wrinkled paper.

"Well, you were passed out for three whole days," She exclaimed, "So I say, I had plenty of time!"

I blinked, my body frozen as a statue.

" _What…?_ "

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Wow, it's been a while since I last updated this story! I had a huge writer's block on how this chapter should have went and school hasn't helped either, but hopefully it won't take anywhere near as long to do the next!**


	7. Chapter 7 - The Kidnapping

**The Fall of Inkopolis**

 _ **The Kidnapping**_

 **(Nori)**

"Steeella!" I called out, tapping my foot impatiently. "Are you done yet?"

For someone who wanted to leave this place so badly, she sure is taking her sweet time getting ready.

"Almost!" She shouted back. "It's my first time I'm going out in inkling territory; I don't wanna get caught!"

I blinked.

Stella being smart about something for once? Maybe I'm starting to rub off on her…

"I wanna get caught looking my best!" She quickly continued. "Then, male inklings will say, ' _No! Don't take that beautiful Octoling girl away_!' And the girls will be like, ' _Yeah! She's the definition of cute_!'"

Never mind…

"Stella, no one's going to care about that. As long as you cover your tentacles," I say, pointing to her hair. "We should be in the clear. And if anybody asks, just say your tentacles are shorter than most inkling girls..."

"But my tentacles are shorter!" She protested, walking out of my room. "Are you insisting that I'm a liar?"

I remained silent, rolling my eyes. Her outfit, however, was much better than what I had seen her wearing a few hours ago. She wore a Squid Nordic, a Reggae Tee, and Bubble Rain Boots.

I felt a small patch of blush snag my cheeks, worsening as Stella narrowed her eyes and smirked.

"Heeey~!" She teased, sticking her tongue out. "Who are you staring at~? Is it, lil' cute ol' me~?"

"Gaaah!" I shrieked, covering my eyes. "It's my turn to change! Move out of the way!" I blurted, shoving her aside and immediately slamming the door behind me.

* * *

 **(Stella)**

I awkwardly sat beside her bedroom door, folding my arms together.

What was all that about?

"S-Stella…?" I heard her say, barely audible.

"Yeah?" I asked, staring at the round, shiny object attached to her door.

What do they call those here? A knob?

"You never told me what happened after I passed out." She pressed on. "I remember somethings, like his name, Teto?"

"I thought it was Tet."

"Yeah!" She agreed. " _Teeet_ …So, what did he do?"

"Well, I don't really know what caused him to steal your Zapfish because I was too busy trying on your clothes…" I grinned, sticking my tongue out with a wink.

" **Stole the Zapfish!?** " She cried out.

Through the door, I could hear her shuffling through her bag and other junk.

" **THAT. STUPID. INKLING. WILL. PAY!** " She shouted at the top of her lungs. "Never let a stranger into your home, Stella!"

"But you let me into your home, and we got along just swell!"

Nori didn't respond to that and I could feel my heart tighten.

After she welcomed me to her home and agreed to teach me all about inklings, I thought we would become really close, but lately, it still feels like I'm still her enemy. Logically, yes, I am, but I'm nowhere near as mean and ruthless as other Octarians. _Riiight_?

Was it because of that Tet guy? Has he caused trust issues with Nori now? If he has, then I want to make him pay to! But have him pay what? Money?

"Alright, I think…I think I'm ready." She said, breaking the silence and my thoughts.

She pushed the door open, smiling shyly.

"What do you think?"

She was wearing what looked to be some kind of uniform. The uniform consisted of a black jacket, a white, cream colored undershirt, a green tie, and cream-colored shoes. Instead of shorts, she wore a plaid, green skirt, and had an S-shaped hairpin fastened into her hair.

"You look amazingly adorable!" I squealed, causing little, green patches of blush to blossom on her cheeks.

She ran a hand over her hair, rolling her eyes.

"Let's go; I know you've been waiting for this."

* * *

 **(Stella)**

The ride to Inkopolis was a lot more nerve-wrecking than I expected. Turns out, inklings use some of the Zapfish's power to ride trains…

I hate trains…

The whole ride, I stuck to Nori's side like glue. Fortunately, I did get to learn more about inkling clothing from Nori's fashion magazine. For example, I know now that her outfit is definitely a uniform, but it's a School Uniform!

"So," She continued explaining. "Most inklings spend their winnings on clothes. It's just our thing. If you don't look fresh, inklings and other shopkeepers won't even notice you."

"D-Do I look fresh…?" I stuttered, shaking slightly.

"I'd give you a three out of five." She shrugged. "If it were up to me, I would have worn a Classic Straw Boater, but y'know…that wouldn't be best in your case."

The train slowed to a stop causing me to release a sigh, also releasing the tightness in my chest. I nudged her to get up, but she didn't budge.

"This isn't Inkopolis, Stella. We're gonna have to stop a few times so other inklings can board this train." She replied.

" **WHAT!?** " I shrieked, my heart pounding heavily in my chest again. "We're going to have to ride this train more!?"

I don't know how much more of this I can take.

"Stella," Nori grabbed my hand tightly. "I promise you, this train will not go upside down, crash, or hurt us. These are much safer and faster than your trains. We made it all the way here without a scratch, didn't we?"

I stared at her for a few moments before nodding in agreement.

"You're right!" I exclaimed, straightening myself. "Inkopolis is in a much better condi-"

I stopped myself as several more inklings boarded the train, one of them catching my eye. Yes, there was one inkling in particular who looked all too familiar.

"What's wrong?" Nori asked as I sat back down, gripping her arm tightly.

"It's that guy!" I whispered. "He's the one who stole your Zapfish!"

* * *

 **(Nori)**

Keeping my face low, I glanced over my shoulder, and sure enough, she was right. It could be very possible that this is another inkling with very similar attire, but I strongly doubt it with how _invisible_ he's acting.

Thankfully, there were still some inklings getting on board, blocking us. Seeing this as an opportunity, I grabbed Stella's hands and maneuvered our way off the train.

I could hear Stella release a sigh of relief behind me, causing me to roll my eyes.

What a drama queen.

We continued to quickly walk away from the train, most inkling already on board. I couldn't help but think about how that train was heading to Inkopolis at a much faster rate than we are on foot.

But it's safer this way. I can't let that guy reveal who Stella really is in front of everyone.

Once we were far enough, I stopped, a look of concern grew across my face.

"What's wrong?" Stella asked.

"Well, we may be away from that Tet guy…but I don't know where we are…" I say, awkwardly running a hand through my hair.

We were surrounded by tall, white trees, most bare as their leaves had already settled on the ground. There was definitely a surplus of wildlife, several different birds chirped inconsistently and the occasional mouse scurrying for food on the forest floor.

" **WHAT!?** " She gasped. "Don't you know Inkopolis like the back of your hand!?"

I stared at her, wide-eyed. "Y-You do realize that we're most likely not in Inkopolis anymore, right?"

"What…?" She began. "I-I thought-"

I rolled my eyes in annoyance. "I'll give you a history lesson later, but right now we need to get out of here…"

I paused, staring at the wildlife around us.

"Where ever here is…"

We continued an annoyingly long trek through the woods, Stella blabbering about things she had never seen such as flowers, clovers, and bugs.

"Whoa! That's cool too!" Stella exclaimed, pointing at it. "What is-"

"It's a duck." I snapped, a bit harsher than intended. "I get you're curious and all, but we really need to-"

My foot suddenly felt as if it were walking on air, my other feeling the same shortly. The leaves underneath my heels soon gave way, and I quickly turned to Stella, her eyes wide.

" **STEEELLA**!" I cried out as my body was engulfed in darkness, her face and the world outside getting smaller and farther away.

* * *

 **(Stella)**

" **NORI!** " I cried back, not able to see her anymore.

A pitfall trap? Who would leave a pitfall trap out in the middle of the woods? Oh, I know! This must be an inkling prank! Yeah! Funny! Funny!

Before I could take a step forward, I heard rustling. Quickly, I darted my eyes towards the undergrowth, heart beating rapidly.

Slowly, a figure rose up, observing me. They gasped and made a signal with their hands.

Immediately, several other figures rose up, all exclaiming and gasping as well.

" _Stella! Oh man, we thought you were dead_!" A voice cried out.

" _Yeah, but you're alive! Awesome_!" Another joined in.

" _How'd you survive_?" Another one asked.

Wait a second…

Are these guys…the Octolings I was with in the Kelp Dome!?

"Stella?" A voice all too familiar growled.

The Octolings moved aside to let a taller, more masculine Octarian step forward. Even here on the soft, plush ground, his boots still managed to make a large thud-like noise.

Commander Octill, still looking intimidating as ever.

"You're alive?" He asked, more annoyed sounding than concerned. "How? We saw it! Agent 3 took you as soon as you passed out!"

I opened my mouth then closed it again.

I can't just tell them that I've been living with an inkling for the past three days. No, I need to find a way out of this, otherwise, it's back to Octo Hell with me.

"I-I am alive." I say, stating the obvious. "I was rescued by…Agent 3? B-But-"

"That inkling?" He interrupted, shooting a glance towards the pit. "Agent 3 doesn't care about us, Stella. Sooner or later she was going to splat you because that's what all the Agents do. They come, they splat us, they hunt us, they splat us, they chase us, they _**kill**_ us. "

He stops to observe me.

"What are those _ridiculous_ clothes are you wearing?" He spat.

"R-Ridiculous!?" I snapped, biting my tongue quickly afterwards. "I mean, I didn't think they were… _that bad_."

"Anything made by inklings are _hideous_." He says, walking away with a dismiss of his hand. "We have work to do. I hope you haven't forgotten anything that was a part of your training, rookie."

As soon as he's gone, a hand latches onto my shoulder, making me flinch. I turned around, gasping.

"Tashia!"

"Star!" She cried back, opening her arms.

We both hugged for several moments, patting each other's back before I pulled back, awkwardly adjusting my _hideous_ hat.

"Star, I thought you were gone forever!" She wailed, latching herself onto my arm. "You had us all worried!"

"Pffft." I snorted. "I'm pretty sure you were the only one who was worried about me, Tashia."

"No! I mean it!" She attacked. "A lot of Octolings noticed you were gone, and we started to wonder, ' _Is she alive_?', and look! You are!"

"Wow…" I responded, a bit surprised. "I didn't think you guys-"

I stopped as my eyes caught Commander Octill and the other Octolings grouped around the pit Nori fell in earlier. He barked some kind of order, causing the Octolings to pull up a tightly threaded net. Inside, I could see Nori's limp body slowly sliding down as they continued to pull.

"W-What are they doing…?" I breathed, heart pounding heavily in my chest.

"What are they doing?" Tashia repeated, like it was the stupidest question he had ever heard. "They're going to ship her back to the _labs_ in our caverns!"

"W-What!? Labs!?"

"Yeah, isn't it cool?" She beamed, eyes sparkling. "Someone taught us new science techniques! Now we have newer machinery, improved railroad systems, and labs!"

My heart felt as if it were going to stop at any moment.

How were they able to improve everything in the span of three days? Who was it that taught my Octarians this advanced technology?

"What are they going to do to her in those labs!?" I demanded, both my hands on the latter's shoulders.

She raised a brow, tilting her head. "W-Why are you so concerned?"

"Tashia, please, just answer my question!" I begged, my body completely shaking at this point.

She shook her head. "I dunno. Only _Tentacrewers_ are allowed to access the labs."

I released my grip off of her without a response. Instead, I watched in horror as the Octolings continued to drag Nori closer and closer to Octo Valley.

What happened while I was gone?


	8. Chapter 8 - You're New and Improved

**The Fall of Inkopolis**

 **You're New and Improved**

 **(Nori)**

"Is she conscious?" A voice asks.

I attempt to open my eyes, but as soon as they open, I am greeted with an irritating light. My eyes force themselves shut, darkness easily reclaiming me.

"No. Shouldn't be." Another mumbled.

Somewhere in the distance, a machine is rumbling, its rumbles echoing throughout the room.

"OK, what's the plan here?" The previous voice asked.

"You really don't know? Did you not follow Dr. Kureji's instructions?"

Who's Dr. Kureji?

I attempt to open my eyes again, but they feel heavy and weighted against me.

"N-No, I'm sorry." The latter mumbles, embarrassed.

The other groans in annoyance, tapping his foot impatiently.

"I'll make it brief for you." He says. "It's time to test the new machine!"

The other gasps in excitement.

Suddenly, I feel my body being lifted from the air onto a cold, hard surface. The cold feels nice…it soothes the aching pain my body has undergone.

"Are you sure it's ready though? Last experiment didn't go too well."

"Really?" The other persists, cuffing my legs and arms to the cold surface. "What happened?"

I really wish I could open my eyes right now. I don't remember anything. It's like I was magically placed into this world without an explanation.

"I don't know what happened exactly." The other continues. "All I remember is that the sight was not pretty."

Thanks to my persisting curiosity, I finally gathered enough strength to open my eyelids. My vision is immediately blurred, however, and the two figures who were speaking stared at me from above.

"W-Where am I…?" I ask, voice cracked and hoarse.

One of them claps, the other patting the latter's back in satisfaction.

"Are the lights too bright for you?" One asks, ignoring my question.

I nod, still squinting.

One of the strangers nods to the other, and immediately, he walks away. A few moments later, the lights dim and my vision instantly starts improving.

I can now see that I am cuffed to some sort of table. We're all in a large room decorated with all kinds of machines: computers, scanners, copying machines and much more.

The two figures that loomed before me are wearing white coats, goggles attached to their heads and they had several tentacles coming from their heads.

"Who are you guys?" I ask, my voice sounding smoother.

"We are Tentacrewers." One says, gently patting my head.

The feeling is nice.

Since he answered my question, I decide to question him further.

"Why am I cuffed to this table?"

"Because we have a test for you." He answers calmly. "This test requires no movement of your body at all."

He signals the latter, and he brings a small screen with several wires dangling from it. Gently, they attach the cups latched onto the wires onto my forehead.

"Now," The latter says, pointing a finger to the screen. "Do any of these people seem familiar?"

The first image shows two male strangers and a female stranger surrounding a shorter, happy girl. They all seem to be joyous, as if smiling for a group picture. However, I recognize none of them.

"No." I finally say. "None of them look familiar."

"Good. Good." He says. "How about this one?"

The other swipes the screen, pulling up another image. This time, it is a girl who strangely bares a similar resemblance to the two men here with me. She is also happy, hugging another girl who is blushing in embarrassment.

"This also doesn't look familiar."

"Excellent!" He beams. "You've passed the test!"

He moves over towards desk and presses a green button, releasing my arm and legs of their stiff position.

The other stranger in front of me removes the cups from my head and gingerly moves out of my way, smiling.

For some reason, I can't help but smile back. These two strangers seem nice and they haven't harmed me in any way so far.

"Do you guys have names?" I ask, tilting my head.

"Of course." The one holding the screen answers. "My name is Okuto." He then points to the other stranger who released me. "That over there is Ringu."

"Oh, nice to meet you both!" I chirp. "My name is…"

"Inky." Ringu finishes for me.

"Inky?" I repeat, perplexed.

The name does not ring any bells, but I have to trust these two. If they know my name, then maybe they know the rest of my history too.

"Yes, Inky." He says. "You are sixteen years old. You are an inkling, female."

"An inkling?"

He nods. "However, your species has done…some rather horrible things."

He notices the spark of curiosity in my eyes and continues. "Your race is different from ours. Have you noticed the difference between us?"

Okuto places the small screen down and pulls down a lever. Above me, a mechanical-looking arm slowly comes down, a big plate of glass in its hands.

On this glass, I see myself and Ringu, both of us incredibly different.

I have a few orange-colored tentacles, less compared to Ringu's. My eyes have a mask around them unlike his and his skin is slightly tanner than mine. His eyes are a mix of green and purple, while mine are light gray.

"W-We are different…!" I finally gasp, staring at the mirror in awe.

"Precisely." He snaps his fingers and the mechanical arm immediately heaves itself and the mirror back into the ceiling.

"Okuto and I are Octolings, a species of Octarians."

"Octolings…Octarians…" I repeat.

"However, your Inklings have started a war between us. We are force to live underground while they prance in freedom in the clean air above."

"T-That's horrible! Why would they do that…?" I protest.

Ringu closed his eyes shaking his head. "For a resource. However, that resource is much more beneficial to us. While they waste it on electronics and video games, we actually use it keep everyone alive."

I feel my heart pound loudly, wondering if Ringu could hear it.

Is…Is he being truthful? There's still so much I don't know. There's still so many questions I have about myself, Octarians and Inklings, and what's happening right now!

Is that why I awoke unconscious? Because we're in some type of war?

I clench my hands into fists, desperately trying to shake away my negative thoughts.

"I-I…I don't know what to say…" I begin, heart pounding faster.

Ringu nods, his frown forming into a smirk. "Thankfully, we still have a chance to save the rest of our Octarians down here and restore what was once ours."

I gaze back up at him, piqued.

"Look at this." He says, pulling a different lever.

A big, roundish glass lowers from the ceiling, also held by a mechanical arm. Inside is a fish-eel like creature, electricity radiating from it.

Ringu snaps his fingers once and the power immediately goes out, leaving the room in the same darkness I was engulfed in earlier.

"This is what happens when we are without power, minus the quakes and screaming Octarians."

My heart lurches as I imagine millions and millions of Octarians desperately screaming for help, only to be met with the violently shaking ground and darkness.

"But," He continues, snapping me from my dark thoughts. "We can retrieve this power again."

He snaps his fingers again, the room visible again with light.

I slowly nod. "So both species are competing for the electricity from that creature?"

"Yes. That creature is called a Zapfish. However," He turns, tapping his chin lightly. "It's the Great Zapfish that can power a whole city."

"Great Zapfish?" I questioned.

"It curls itself around Inkopolis' Tower every single day, all for a sport the Inklings like to play."

"That's it?" I murmur.

He nods.

"W-Well…I'm sorry…but I have a question."

He exchanges a smirk with Okuto before nodding towards me.

"You have many questions as expected. You'll get all the answers you want; all you have to do is enter that machine over there." He says, pointing towards a cylindrical machine.

I turn, my heart pounding and my legs suddenly feeling wobbly like jelly.

That machine looks sort of scary, the only way in it through a tightly sealed glass door, the rest of the container transparent and very compact. In its ceiling, wires with cups, similar to the ones attached to the small screen they tested me on earlier, dangle, followed by its own screen.

"…W-What is it?" I stutter.

Ringu chuckles, a bit sinister sounding.

"If you want your answers to everything, you'll have to go inside, Inky."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Happy New Year's everyone! I hope 2016 will be a step of fresh air for all of us!**

 **Unfortunately, things aren't looking too bright for Inky and Stella! Just what are those Octarians up to?**

 **And again, thanks for all the positive reviews guys! I honestly doubted I'd ever continue this story after the second chapter, but your comments help keep this story going! Staaay Fresh this year!**


	9. Chapter 9 - Two Inkless Hearts

**Two Inkless Hearts:**

( **Stella** )

As the sun finally rose up into the sky, I sat on the ground, poking leaves and drawing sad faces on the ground with a stick. Next to me, Tashia sat with her head held in her hands, deciding to stay behind to keep me company.

Just a couple of hours ago, Ink-I mean-Nori, had just been captured after trying to lead me away from Teto's sight on our way to Inkopolis. Now, my friend and I sit here with no current or brilliant plans on how to rescue the one who rescued me.

"So…" Tashia began after several moments of silence. "What are you going to do now?"

I glanced at her, still continuing my drawing. "I don't know! Sneaking out isn't really my forte."

"That's a lie." She laughed. "You were able to sneak yourself out, weren't you?"

What she's saying isn't a total lie. There were multiple times where I would try to sneak into Octovi's office and steal his badges, but I never thought I'd be able to sneak my whole self out. In fact, had it not been for Nori, I would have still been stuck in that Octarian hole.

"That plan fell apart real quick." I shrugged. "And you said there's new technology down there now. I don't know how the new system works or what tentacrewers are."

"But I'm familiar with it." Tashia said, raising a hand. "Look…I may not trust Agent-err-Nori as much as you do, but because she's so important to you, I'll help you rescue her in any way I can."

"R-Really?!" I beamed.

"Really, S-girl." She winked.

I released my stick and tackled her down, hugging her tightly. "This is why you and I are the best of friends!"

"Yep, the best!" She squeaked, squirming out of my tight grasp. "So, what's the plan?"

I released her, I staring towards the direction of my…ugh, home. Even though I hate it, I'll have to return home if I ever want to see my silly squid again.

"Well…you and I are both Octarians…" I began. "So…we wouldn't even have to sneak in! It's getting to the labs that's going to be hard."

"I can take you there. The Octarians that are good at fixing and building things are given tours of the lab before they start their Tentacrewer Apprenticeship." She said, tapping her chin. "But…" She pointed at my clothes with a faint trace of disgust. "You're gonna have to put your Octoling gear back on."

"Oh my cod! My gear!" I exclaimed in realization.

"W-What?" The latter asked, bewildered.

"My gear…it's back at Nori's apartment! And I don't know how to get back there..."

* * *

( **Rose** )

"Finally! You're here! Ready to help us?"

I gulped, feeling several beads of sweat roll down my cheek.

Today, I have turned fourteen. When an Octarian turns fourteen, they're finally allowed and ready to start their training for whatever job they're interested in. However…my job seems to be assisting others.

"I-I think I am…" I nervously responded. "It's just-"

"Don't worry." He interrupted, waving a finger. "She can't hurt you at all."

"How do you know that, Ringu? She's an inkling after all."

Ringu rolled his eyes in annoyance, tapping his foot impatiently. "Look, I'll make this brief for you, okay?"

I nodded.

"Yes, that inkling in there is Agent 3, our sworn enemy who has taken nearly all the Zapfish back from us. But, with our new technology, thanks to Dr. Kureji, we were able to wipe away her memories."

"I don't understand though…what do you need me for?"

"In her current state, Inky is scared of everything, even her own shadow." He answered with a smirk. "We've heard Octarians say that you're on the sweet side."

That's true. I've always loved helping others, especially during our _dark_ times. It's strange, to think that just three days ago, our population was decreasing rapidly and our utopia was collapsing right in front of our eyes. Now, we're all stabilized.

"So," I began. "You want me to be nice to her?" I asked, lightly tapping my chin.

He nods. "She needs someone she can trust. Trust is the only way we can get her to stay in the machine."

I glance towards the room behind Ringu where our _sworn_ enemy was sobbing, her whole body shaking. Even if we are enemies, I still can't help but feel a bit bad for her. Losing your memories of people you love dearly must be heartbreaking.

"OK." I finally say. "I'll do it."

* * *

( **Stella** )

My heart continued thumping heavily in my chest every time an inkling or two would pass. Their eyes would quickly scan me, fortunately, not taking any suspicions.

I promised Tashia that if I didn't make it back to her in two days, it's safe to assume that I most likely got captured. Hopefully, that doesn't happen.

Another group of inklings walked by, laughing and smiling. As soon as we passed, one of them eyed me sharply through narrowed eyes.

Argh! Is this what it's like to be nervous? I've never been nervous of anything before. Maybe a little before I met Nori, but my 'bouncy' personality as the other Octarians like to call it, prevents me from ever being scared. But now, I'm more jittery than a soaking wet Judd.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I continued walking at a brisk pace, trying to appear and remain calm as possible.

 _It's okay Stella._

 _No one suspected you earlier, no one will now._

 _You're not nervous! Yes I am. No! No I'm not!_

As I continued arguing with myself, my head collided into something hard. The impact push me backwards, sending me straight down to the ground. Rubbing my aching temple, I saw that the person I bumped into was a male inkling.

"Oops! Sorry!" I blurted out, scrambling to my feet.

I awkwardly stretched my hand out to him, hoping I didn't just attract a bunch of unnecessary attention.

"Ah…it's alright." He responded, grabbing my hand. "Humpty Dumpty's not the only one who took a great fall!"

"Humpty…Dumpty?" I repeated, dumbfounded. "Who's that? Why is his name Humpty Dumpty? Sounds like he got dumped by a girl or maybe in the trash?"

He blinked before busting out into a riot of laughter. "Haha! T-That's hilarious! Got dumped by a girl ahaha!"

I couldn't help but grin as he gripped his stomach tightly. This guy is definitely a silly squid-kid.

After a while, he stopped, swiping a tear from his eye. "Aw man. That was a good laugh, thank you."

"Heh, no problem. But seriously, who's Humpty Dumpty?"

For a split second, his eye twitched before he burst out laughing once again.

"You're super funny! Well…" He leaned closer to my ear, whispering, "For an Octoling."

Immediately, my heart stopped.

 _He knows. He knows. He knows! HE KNOWS!_

"Hey, don't worry though!" He reassured, patting my back. "To me, you're a friend. And your secret is safe with me, friend."

"W-Wait…whaaat?" I asked, bewildered.

"I've probably dragged lots of attention with my outburst." He said, glancing at other people. "C'mon! I'll take you to my place! Well, it's not really mine, but I can still live there!"

"B-But wait! I-"

Without letting me finish, he grabbed my hand, dashing away and forcing me to follow.

* * *

( **Rose** )

Shriveled up whimpering in a corner was the girl Ringu had described to me, Inky. After what Okuto and Ringu put her through, I don't blame her for being so afraid. How do I approach her though? She's already doubtful of all of us.

"Um…Inky?" I softly spoke, gently tapping her shoulder.

Immediately, she jumped and screamed. "Please don't hurt me! I'm sorry! I'm scared!"

"Whoa, whoa!" I exclaimed, waving my hands back and forth. "I promise, I won't hurt you! I-I don't like violence…"

She blinked, tilting her head. "Y-You're voice…you're a girl…?"

"Yep!" I smiled, extending a hand towards her. "My name is Rose."

She refused to shake my hand, squishing herself up tight against the wall. "I-I thought you were them…you're with them, aren't you…?"

I blinked.

 _Come on, Rose._

 _Earn her trust, earn her trust._

"Inky, what did my horrible friends do to you?" I asked, sitting down. "You can trust me."

"…Whipped. T-They whipped me." She answered after a few moments of hesitation. "Because I refused to go and stay in that w-weird machine…"

Looking at her closer, I now noticed the several scars across her face and her left eye appeared to be red and swollen.

Silently, I gasped, shaking my head. Even if she is an inkling, I still feel sorry for her.

"I-I didn't do anything wrong…" She whimpered. "I-I just want to know…why I'm here...a-and who I am."

I nodded, understanding completely. "Inky, I'm sorry they did that to you. You…you don't deserve that kind of treatment."

"What are you going to do to me?" She asked, unfazed. "Are you another one of their puppets?"

 _Are you another one of their puppets?_

 _Am I? Aren't we all doing what DJ Octavio told us to do exactly?_

Her words hurt me, not physically or mentally. It hurts because she and I both know that her statement is true.

"Y-You didn't lose all your memories…did you?"

She stared at me as I stared at her, both of our eyes showing nothing but fear. For a split second her eyes darted towards the large glass door behind me.

"I-Inky…d-don't do it…"

I could see her legs trembling out of fear and wanting to run.

"They'll hurt you…"

She slowly and shakily lifted herself up, uncontrollable tears streaming from her eyes. "That's what they've already done…"

"And they'll do it again." I whispered, shaking my head. "Inky, I promise, you can trust me. As long as you trust me, they won't hurt you again."

We stared at each other, a dramatic silence filling up the room, time threatening to freeze as it waited for one of us to speak.

"…OK." She finally answered. "I'm putting my _life_ into your hands."

* * *

( **Stella** )

After what seemed like hours of running, we finally slowed to a stop. I bent down, panting hard.

"Not really one for running, are ya?" The boy teased, sticking his tongue out. "I thought they taught Octarians to roll around at the speed of sound~!"

"Oh…not at all!" I responded, catching my breath. "T-They just…make us fight squid dummies…and-Hey! Where'd you drag me to!?"

"Oh, just the middle of nowhere." He shrugged, grinning. "Guess you can't take over Inkopolis now, gaha!"

"Y-You're joking!"

"Yes, I am joking."

"Are you still joking right now?"

"…Yes."

"Well stop it!" I spat. "I have…very important things to do right now!"

"Like what?" He demanded, the joking tone from his voice now gone. "You've already destroyed the Kelp Dome and Moray Towers. Because of that, Turf Wars have been postponed."

"Wait, Moray Towers?" I asked.

Nori never mentioned the destruction of Moray Towers, not that I know what that place is anyways. Maybe it would have been too heartbreaking for her.

"Yeah. I guess you haven't heard since it just happened two hours ago."

"Oh gosh…I'm sorry." I said, frowning. "I can't control what my reckless friends will do."

He stared at me for a few moments before slowly wrapping his arms around me. I feel tears welling up in my eyes because the way he's hugging me is almost, if not exactly the same way Nori did.

"I like you." He said, releasing me. "I don't think all Octarians are bad; you're a prime example."

"I don't think all inklings are bad…" I replied. "That's why I'm here. I want to show all the inklings that Octarians aren't really bad…we're just…desperate."

Instead of responding back, he smiles.

His smile, somehow, is very reassuring.

 _Can I trust this guy?_

 _Can I tell him what I'm really doing right now?_

"S-So…d-do you know how to get to Flounder…Flounder Apartments?" I stammered, wiping away the rest of my tears.

"I do…but what business do you have there?" He questioned, arms folded.

"Clothes. I-I need my Octoling gear back…"

"But why?"

Man, this inkling is resilient! He's making it harder and harder to dodge the truth.

"Because I lost someone…and I need to rescue them!" I spat, the tone of my voice filled with annoyance.

"Who? Because if it's another Octarian, I don't think I can-"

"Nori." I interrupted. "I lost my best friend Nori.

He froze, an invisible arrow piercing his heart. Slowly, he allowed his body to collapse to the ground. Tears, nothing but tears came out from his eyes.

"…Nori…?" He sobbed. "I-Is that why s-she hasn't…answered my calls…lately? Is that why…s-she hasn't been home…?"

"Y-You know her…?" I asked, heart beating rapidly.

"N-Nori…Inky…she's my sister!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Wow, it's been more than a month since I last updated this story. Oopsies! This chapter was painfully hard to write. Several ideas put in and tossed out, school interfering, and constant writer block problems.**

 **But here it is! Also, title changed again to better match the plot. =w=**


	10. Chapter 10 - I'm Waaaiting!

**I'm Waaaiting!:**

( **Inked** )

The walk back to Inky's apartment was long and miserable one. I just found out that my sister got captured only to return the place where she and I had spent so much time together in. Now, its just an empty home.

As I walked through Inkopolis, I ignored the inklings who stared at me curiously or asked if I was okay. Obviously, if my head is down and I'm not speaking, I'm not okay. But I should be okay. If what Stella told me works, we can rescue her. But there's something in my gut that tells me it won't be easy.

 _Am I anxious?_

Suddenly, my body was forced to a stop. I looked up to see a hand on my chest, then a face in front of me, and it's a face that showed up at the worst possible time.

" **Tet**." I spat, not hiding the disgust in my tone.

"Inked." He replied calmly. "What's wrong? You are usually out making people laugh with your… _puns_."

"Just get out of my way!" I yelled, swiping his hand away and continuing forward. "The last thing I need to do is waste time talking to you."

Of course, he ignores what I literally just said and follows me, making this trip even more unbearable.

"I am sorry about your sister." He says, unrealistic sympathy in his tone.

"What do you know about her!?" I spat, pulling him closer. "If you know something, you better spit it out right now!"

His face remained unchanged. "No, I do not. How is it that an inkling like me would be responsible for a kidnapping that our enemies, the Octarians have done?"

Instead of answering, I released my tight grip on him and continued walking, growling in annoyance with every footstep.

"Inked?" He asked. "Will you answer my-"

"Stop talking to me." I interrupted, waving my hand.

Worried he still might follow, I broke into a sprint towards Flounder Heights.

 _He wants to see you broken. He knows you're already cracked. Don't let him tear you apart any further!_

* * *

Half an hour of running later, I finally made it to my sister's apartment without breaking a sweat. However, my run did not relieve me of my depression which seemed to increase twice as fast the closer I got closer to opening the door.

 _All I need are Stella's clothes…then we can rescue her. We can do it. I'll get my sister back._

I pulled out the key to unlocking the door, fitting it perfectly inside the key hole. Slowly and shakily, I placed my hand on the door knob, just about to twist it.

"Inked!" Tet's annoying bland voice called.

"Tet! Go away!" I shouted back.

Why is he so obsessed with bugging me today?

Before he could make contact with me, I swung the door open and slammed it afterwards, locking it. Once the latter caught up, he knocked, still calling after me.

Ignoring him, I made my way into Inky's room, covering my mouth to hold in a gross sob. Lifeless. It feels so lifeless and silent. The worst part is not knowing if my sister is even still alive. Octarians are merciless.

Shaking my head, I bent down and scavenged through the piles of clothes on the floor. A lot of them were old stuff Inky doesn't even wear anymore; it was probably Stella who made this mess.

Almost ready to give up, my eyes caught the sight of a lens, most likely to goggles, something Inky would never wear because she finds them to _boyish_. Typical Inky.

Pulling them out, I was able to find the rest of Stella's clothes, sighing in relief. The only thing I want to do is leave this depressing place desperately. But then, a brick hit me.

Tet's still outside, waiting and will be definitely wondering what I'm doing with random Octoling gear.

I glanced towards the window, the only other way outside, gulping.

It's my only suspicion-free way out.

* * *

( **Rose** )

"I hate to disappoint you sirs...but the only way I can gain her trust...is by allowing her to freely wander...t-the city..."

Both Tentacrewers stared at me in disbelief, like I had just turned into a Kraken and splatted the whole Octarian population.

"S-So…in order to fully gain her trust…I need to show her around…the city." I repeated softly, avoiding both Tentacrewer's piercing stares.

"You **cannot** do that!" Ringu spat, folding his arms. "Conversation is the only way we are allowing you to gain her trust."

I gulped, straightening my posture. Do I dare talk back to my elders?

"…T-that's not going to work!"

I guess I do.

The anger in his gaze increased, his eyes literally dark red. " _ **Excuse me**_?"

"Y-Yeah! If you want my help…and to gain her t-trust, you have to let me show her around our new city. I've t-tired talking…and i-i-it doesn't work…" I mumbled, fumbling with my sweaty fingers.

Ringu probably would have punched me if Okuto hadn't rested a hand on his shoulder, an attempt to control his uncontrollable short temper. Some Octarians call Ringu a time bomb.

"We should listen to Rose, Ringu." He spoke, gently. "If conversation and confrontation doesn't work, then we'll have to use Rose's method."

Ringu tapped his foot, head resting against his hand though his gaze was still locked on me. He growled in annoyance before nodding in agreement.

"Fine!" He shouted. "But if anything happens; an _escape_ , _memories brought back_ , or _secrets revealed_ , you can expect a trip to the sewers!"

Though nodding, I shivered from his threat.

The sewers are Octropolis' scariest, deadly place. Not even DJ Octavio plays with the hungry Octomaw that lurks under the purple, murky pools down there. Let's just say, whoever goes down never comes back up.

"Don't w-worry." I replied, regaining my straight posture. "Just a quick tour of the city is all I'll give her."

With that, I exited the lab and headed down towards the Octocells. Inside one was Nori, still sobbing and whimpering in fear. I tapped on the glass keeping her contained, receiving her attention.

She tilted her head as if to say, ' _Did it work?_ '.

I winked and nodded, pulling out a slip of paper with a code written on it.

' _It's already working_.'

* * *

( **Stella** )

Tashia and I waited by what Inked called the _Marlinous Woods_ for his return. We all agreed that it would be much safer for me to stay out in the woods with Tashia instead of risking every second of my life under inkling pressure. However, that silly squid left five hours ago. It shouldn't take him that long, right?

"Maybe he decided to walk it." Tashia suggested with a shrug. "I don't blame him. After all our crazy train wrecks in Octopia, I would rather walk too."

We continued observing the woods' nature; redish orange leaves slowly drifting towards the ground, little green slimy creatures croaking occasionally, and birds chirping their beaks off towards each other.

I appreciate the surface's nature, especially since it was sealed off to me underground.

Suddenly, we heard a soft rustling in the bushes, causing both of us to turn.

"Inked?" I whispered in case it wasn't him.

There was no response. Instead, a little white creature with long ears and short tail hopped by, twitching its whiskers.

I sighed, patience draining from my body. "Maybe this was a bad idea."

"Hm? You mean letting Inked get your clothes?" She asked.

"No Tash." I retorted, rolling my eyes. "The _real_ bad idea is letting that white creature spot us. Now it might report us to the inklings."

Her eyes widened. " **I-It will!?** We have to stop it!"

I couldn't help but grin, rolling my eyes once more. "I'm kidding."

"Fish-brain!" She spat, playfully punching me in the shoulder. "Don't scare me like that!"

"What are you gonna do?" I teased. " _Feed_ me to the Octomaw?"

"Ahhh!" She squealed, waving her arms frantically. "Don't you ever joke about the Octomaw! But really, we should do something to help pass the time."

I nodded, stretching out my sore, aching legs.

"How about twenty questions?" She asked.

"Oh yeah! Let's do it! I rule at this game!" I beamed, staring at her with determination.

"OK, OK. Question one, do you have a _cruuush_ on anyone?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

Immediately my body froze, the determination fleeing from my body. Out of all the questions she could have asked me, she chose that one!? I swallowed the dry lump in my throat, annoyed at her satisfaction to my reaction.

" _Well_ , Stella?" She sneered. "Don't be a scary Judd! Answer the question or I will forever gloat in this victory forever!"

"Forever…?" I repeated.

She nodded, narrowing her eyes. " _Forever_."

Wiping the sweat off my face, I nodded, clutching my hands together. "I-I do have a crush on someone…"

" _Oooh_!" She squealed, twirling her hair back and forth. "That leads us to question two! _Who_ do you have a crush on?"

"Oh come on, Tash!" I begged, tears welling up in my eyes. "Don't make me say it!"

"Too late. You have to answer it! No backing out now!"

I closed my eyes tightly before blurting out, "I love-"

" **I'm here!** " Inked shouted, running through the undergrowth.

I fell backwards, allowing myself to breath. "Haaa…thanks, Inked. You're a real lifesaver."

"Yeah, thanks a lot Inked." Tashia retorted. "I was just about to hear Stella's-"

"Well, looks like I should change now!" I interrupted, snatching my gear from him. "Thanks Inked! I'll be back in a second!"

Not waiting for a response, I dashed behind the trees near the undergrowth to hide myself.

That was almost too close for comfort. Now that I have my gear back, we can go rescue Nori and forget about this whole crush incident. However, as I changed back into my clothes, a feeling of dread filled my body from head to toe.

As I looked at my reflection on the water, I felt as if I were looking at the past, the old Stella. Though I took this gear off yesterday, it felt like I hadn't worn it for years.

"Stella, you almost ready?" Inked called out.

"Almost!" I shouted back.

I returned my gaze towards the pond.

It was then I wondered, after all these sorta bad events, would my crush even develop feelings for me too?

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Lots and lots of dialogue in this chapter, but I couldn't think of other ways to write out what was happening.**

 **But anyways, new chapter! Yay! You guys didn't have to wait full month this time! Now if only I could keep up this pace. =w= And again, thanks for your positive reviews! I never thought this many people would actually like it! Stay fresh!**


	11. Chapter 11 - One Inkless Heart

**One Inkless Heart:**

( **Stella** )

Octo Valley was eerily quiet today, only the sound of wind crumbling leaves could be heard. It's like Mother Nature knew we were planning to do something that will either work out perfectly or go horribly wrong.

As Tashia had said, things really have changed. All the old kettles that led to our previous bases were long gone, only the bolts that held them in remained. Now, in front of us, a kettle, brand-new looking, sat with little rays of sunlight reflecting off of it.

"Alright, everyone remember what the plan is?" I asked, glancing between my two friends. "Once we start, there's no going back."

Both nodded.

"I stay out here in case anyone suspicious comes by and send you warnings in case something goes wrong." Inked said. "In other words, I'm your body guard!"

"Goood..." I nodded, awkwardly smiling. I turned to Tashia. "And you Tash?"

"Easy. You and I both search for the labs, I'll distract them during the tour, and you stealthily sneak Nori out." She answered, hands on her hips. "I mean, sure, it'll be more complicated than that, but that's the gist of it."

"Great! This is going to work everyone." I beamed, crunching my hands into fists. "With Nori back, we can fix everything…"

Another nod from both of my friends, but Inked's breathing seemed a bit staggered and he stared off at another direction.

Taking a deep breath, I reached for Tashia's hand and squeezed it tightly before entering the kettle that lead to what used to be Octopia. We shifted into our octopus forms after waving our goodbyes to Inked, easily sliding through the grate. However, our surroundings completely disappeared, turning into nothing but darkness. With nothing under our feet, we fell down into the darkness below, screaming.

" **TAAASHIAAA! WHERE ARE WE FALLING!?** " I screeched, hugging her with all my might.

" **I DON'T KNOOOW**!" She hollered back. " **THIS WASN'T HOW I GOT HERE LAST TIIIME!** "

We kept screaming until we landed onto something wet with a splash, some sort of liquid slurping around us.

"I-It's not water…" I gasped, pulling my head up.

"Y-Yeah…we're still ali-" She stopped, her eyes immediately widening.

"Tash?" I murmured, still trying to adjust to the darkness.

"Stella, we need to get out of here, **now**!" She exclaimed, still keeping her voice somewhat low. "This kettle is a trap!"

Before I could respond, she swiped my hand and immediately increased her swimming speed which was surprising, Octarians aren't taught to swim; water dissolves are bodies.

"Tash! How do you-" I stopped as a mechanical snake-like body slithered up and down through the murky liquid, hissing every time its head bopped up. We couldn't see it completely, but fortunately for it, it could see us perfectly.

"Crap. No wonder they got rid of all the other kettles." I murmured, gritting my teeth as I tried to keep up with Tash's swimming pace. "This is an inkling trap."

* * *

( **Inked** )

Stella and Tashia had only slid through the grate two seconds ago, and already, I could hears screams of horror. Beads of sweat slid down my forehead as fear slowly seeped its way into my body.

 _They couldn't have gotten captured already, could they?_

Part of me wanted to shift into my squid form and leap down to their rescue, but another part of me begged I stay up here and wait. I'm less safe down there than those two are.

Cupping my hands around my mouth, I shouted, "Stella! Tashia! What's going on down there!?"

I waited several moments, but no response as I slightly expected.

 _What do I do? I promised to stay up here and warn them for trouble, but I can't help but think that they're the ones in trouble._

"So this is where you are." A voice responded.

I jumped, slowly turning around afterward, rolling my eyes. Once again, the Great and Powerful Tet has bestowed himself upon me.

"What are you doing here, Inked?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. "Be honest with me, and I will be honest with you."

"Is that how you're playing it?" I smirked, crossing my arms. There's no way I'm letting this stupid kid think he can drive fear into me whenever he wants. I'm tired of his confrontations.

He rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Looks like the clown has returned. Seriously, what are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" I asked, ignoring his question. "Why have you been following me everywhere? Are you hiding something? Are you trying to capture me too?"

"I already told you," He said, placing a hand on his hip. "I am not the one who captured your sister. I am here because I am an agent now, and there is nothing to hide here as you can clearly see."

"W-Wait, _agent_!?" I exclaimed. "Cap'n Cuttlefish actually passed you off!?"

He nodded, a tiny smirk on his face. "All it took was one Zapfish. Now, it is my turn to ask the questions. What are you specifically doing here?"

I opened my mouth, but quickly closed it.

"Speak truthfully, Inked." He said, snapping his fingers. Several armed Octarians leaped out from the bushes and trees, all gritting their fangs and growling in disgust. "We would love it if you were honest with us."

I covered my mouth to hide a gasp.

"I guess I was not _completely_ honest with you. Allow me to correct my mistakes." He grinned. "Captain Cuttlefish and Agent 1 and 2 do not allow anyone who is not an Agent to pass through Octo Valley. So, I became an Agent, and allowed myself to enter the Octarians' bases unarmed. I gained their trust, they gained mine, now we are a team."

 _It was him. It is him. He did all this. He's the reason why my sister's gone, why Octarians have new technology. He's the reason why Inkopolis is facing a new threat._

"Now, tell us Inked." He demanded, tapping his foot impatiently. "We do not have all day to watch you shake like a coward."

Releasing a shaky sigh, I walked up to him, ignoring all the Octoshots raised and aimed at me.

"Take off your mask." I demanded.

He obeyed, removing it and tossing it aside as if it were trash. I made sure our eyes locked together, his calm, mine watery with depression and fear.

"I'm here because I want to save my sister." I began. "I'm also here because I promised two of my friends that I would warn them of any incoming danger which is what I'm going to do, even if it's right in front of all of you!"

Quickly, I whipped out the walkie-talkie Tashia gave me and shouted, "Stella! They're here!"

Tet, actually surprised, snapped his fingers again and the Octarian soldiers began marching towards me, nothing but hatred gleaming in their dark, purple eyes.

This is it.

* * *

( **Tashia** )

 _How could we have been so dumb!? We didn't even take the slightest suspicion of why there was only one kettle!_

And how ironic it is to bump heads with the Octomaw not too soon after we joked about it. Is that what they call karma?

The ink wasn't smooth or easy to move in. It felt chunky, each wave threatening to sink us as it slowed us down. It being pitch-black down here didn't help much either.

"C'mon Stella!" I hollered, feeling her slowing down. "We gotta hurry or we'll be seafood!"

"I-I'm trying!" She shouted back, picking up the pace.

Hissing sounds could be heard around us as the Octomaw swiftly swam towards us, its large shiny fangs bared. If only I could see-of course!

"Stella! We really are complete idiots!" I hollered, sliding my goggles down.

"Yeah," She replied sarcastically. "Jumping down this kettle not knowing that death could possibly awaits us? Probably not one of our best ideas."

"No!" I shouted, adjusting the goggles. "Put on your goggles and swim stupid!"

Immediately, my vision was no longer obscured, but the Octomaw still wasn't visible, most likely catching speed under ink. In the distance, fortunately, I spotted something that was most valuable to us at this moment, land.

"Look, Stella!" I exclaimed, pointing towards the poorly made mechanical, scrap platform. "If we can just make it up to that, we can get out of here alive!"

Before she could even nod, a powerful force of ink untangled our hands, splitting us apart. I felt myself get thrown in the direction of the platform, and Stella the opposite.

I expected crash down back into the pool, but instead, I landed on something hard.

"Ow..." I groaned, rubbing my bottom. I shook the last remains of the ink off of my body before crawling towards the edge of the platform. Glancing over, I couldn't see Stella or the the Octomaw.

Sighing, I pulled out my walkie-talkie. "Teto, calling Teto? Over."

He responded a few seconds later. "I'm here. Did you follow through with the plan?" He answered.

I paused for a few moments, staring at the murky, purple ink. The Octomaw was most likely devouring her body at this point.

"...Yes, mission complete."

"Excellent. You can now rest. Ov-"

"Wait!" I blurted out, seeing a hand reach out from under the ink.

 _She's not dead...she's still alive!_

"What is it, Tashia?" He pressed on.

"Sorry boss, there's going to be a slight change in plans."

Before he could respond back, I tossed the walkie-talkie into the ink below, Teto's voice drowning underneath. Hopefully, that useless device will become useful and distract the Octomaw from...my friend.

"Stella!" I cried out.

* * *

( **Stella** )

Around me, I could feel the gurgling ink, threatening to suffocate me. Holding my breath, I forced myself to swim up through the heavy currents that desperately wanted to keep me down. As soon as my hand felt air, I pushed my head up, my greedy lungs grabbing handfuls of air.

"Stella!"

I whipped my head around towards Tash's voice. "Tash! I'm okay!"

"Stella, please hurry!" She whined, waving her arms frantically. "The Octomaw is still down there!"

I nodded and began swimming again though my pace was much slower. My arms and legs ached; swimming is something inklings don't even do unless they're in their own ink.

I paused, a light bulb appearing above my head.

 _That's it!  
_

I shifted into my octopus form, bouncing up and down the ink to receive the latter's attention.

"What the hell are you doing, Stella!?" I heard the latter shout.

"Swimming in…well, not my own, but the Octomaw's ink!"

Before she could respond back, I allowed my now slimmer body to slide down into the ink. With a lighter and smaller body, I swiftly swam through the currents, avoiding sharp pieces of scrap and metal that loomed by.

The Octomaw, not done with its game of chase, hissed and growled, dashing towards me. Though it was bigger, it was still twice as fast as me, swimming right through all the metal that stuck out.

 _Crap. Don't panic Stella. Focus on getting up to the surface._

My mind was actually right once. An upcoming wall-the end of the tank-forced me to swim up whether I wanted to or not. Looking up, I scaled the wall, Tashia's face becoming clearer the closer I got.

Below me, the Octomaw, too big to turn perfectly, crashed into the wall, roaring furiously. Tashia wobbled a bit before falling down right on top of me.

"Fish-paste!" She spat, grabbing one of limbs tightly.

"What are you _doooiiing_!?" I hollered as I was tossed up, landing on something hard. I slowly shifted back into my humanoid form, rubbing my head. "O-Ow…" I groaned shaking it, leaning over the edge, expecting to see the latter retreating back up the wall. She wasn't.

"T-Tashia!" I exclaimed. " What are you doing? That thing will kill you!"

"I know." She chuckled, tears welling up in her eyes. "It's for the best anyways."

"W-What are you-"

"This was all a part of the plan, Stella." She interrupted. "After Teto gifted us better lives, better technology, I didn't hesitate in telling him about your whole escape plan."

I stared at her, my body completely frozen.

 _Tashia...told him!?_

She continued, "So, he visited you and Agent 3, learned about what you guys were doing, and successfully followed you both to where we could catch her." She tilted her head back. "We were supposed to capture you too, but that didn't work out too smoothly."

 _S-She's the reason why Nori's gone! She's the reason why we're in this mess!_

"W-Why?" Was all I could spit out. "W-W…Why?"

"Because, inklings are our enemies." She glanced downwards, the Octomaw snapping out of confusion. "At least, that's what I thought before. Now, I see what you see Stella. They're _unfair_. They don't realize that either. But you can make them."

I blinked, understanding but not understand her words at the same time. My tears continued obscuring my vision to where everything was a big, gray blur.

"Convince them that there's a way for all of us to be equal without violence, Stella. You've proven to me that's possible." She closed her eyes, smiling, the Octomaw directly underneath her now. "Oh, and I hope you're able to save your _crush_. I can tell you love her lots."

Before I could say anything, the giant mechanical-like eel lunged forward and opened its maw, swallowing her in one swift gulp before retreating back under the ink.

Wobbling, I staggered away from the eel's tank, collapsing in a fit of tears and uncontrolled sobbing. The one Octoling I thought I could trust and call my best friend betrayed me. She lied to me, used me. I should be happy that she's gone. But I'm not. I don't know what I feel. Anger? Sadness? Betrayal?

"Stella!" A voice called.

Blinking some of my tears away, I scanned around for the voice source. The only thing here besides me is the Octomaw, staring at me with its small pupils, hoping I'll fall back down probably.

"They're here!" It spoke again.

"Inked!" I gasped. Frantically, I pulled out the walkie-talkie Tashia had given me before we even arrived in Octo Valley. Funny how I didn't take any suspicion on how she had exactly three of them. Surprisingly, through all this, it still works.

"S-Stella! I don't know where you two are at, but I'm out of the mission! Tet found me, he's the reason behind everything! Before they capture me, I just want to say good luck! Rescue Nori! I'm rooting for-"

All I could hear afterwards were the sounds of Octoshots. I gasped again, this time in fear, wrapping my arms around my upset stomach.

None of this was supposed to happen.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Haaa, writing this chapter wasn't fun. Not just because of what happened, but because I'm finding it harder and harder to write these chapters. So, I have to say, A Change in Heart will be coming to an end soon, but the last few chapters will be a LOT longer than the previous ones.**

 **Thanks to everyone who supports this story, it's the last bit of juice that keeps me going!**


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